


Soar

by zeta_leonis



Category: Haikyuu!!, Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fairy prince!Suga, Forbidden Love, I changed it, I changed what faerie is like, Kinda, Love at First Sight, M/M, Magic, Rated Explicit for later chapters, Shadowhunter!Kageyama, Smut, kagesuga - Freeform, rarepair, shadowhunters au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-10-02
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:33:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zeta_leonis/pseuds/zeta_leonis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Faeries cannot love humans, it is against the fairy law that governs all four kingdoms.<br/>But love is like a hurricane -<br/>unpredictable, powerful, unstoppable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_ We are an ancient people. We have been on Earth since before the time of men and before the time of Beasts; and we will remain long after. We have endured the ages of rock and iron; the ages of steel and smoke; and now we will live out the age of energy and movement.  _

_ We will remain unchanged, for we are a timeless, ageless people.  _

 

Those are the first words Koushi speaks as he shakily holds up the crown and necklace. He breathes, and tries to remain calm. His silvery blood is racing through his veins, making it roar in his ears and his heart beat at a thousand beats per hour, apparently. The faeries that make up the nobility stand before him, looking at him with observant, judging eyes. He places the crown upon his head, puts on the necklace. It feels light on his skin, yet weighs him down like a rock. The crown is thin, light, made of forged sunlight. It makes him feel like his head is heavy. 

 

_ We the faeries formed four kingdoms, each to one primal part of nature. Air, Earth, Fire and Water. _

_ Air, the currents of wind, the raging storms and roaring hurricanes. It cannot be controlled, it cannot be stopped. We are the children of nature, and the keepers of the blizzard.  _

 

His voice doesn’t sound like his own, but it sounds reverent, powerful, like the wind he represents. He puts a hand over his heart and kneels, taking a chance to exhale before inhaling deeply. For a few seconds he focuses on the tiles on the floor, the white marble that has seen thousands of monarchs rise to power, and will now see one more. 

 

_ I, Sugawara Koushi, swear to protect and defend these lands where the wind runs wild. I, Sugawara Koushi, swear to honour and follow in the footsteps of those before me, and form a path for princes and princesses to come. I, Sugawara Koushi, swear on the wind that carries my name to be just, noble and honest, as faeries are. I, Sugawara Koushi, swear to keep the peace and allegiance of the four kingdoms.  _

 

Everybody has kneeled, and Koushi goes on with the ritual as he has seen times before and faeries will see times after. He rises, and splays his wings, rising above the floor until he is hovering in the air, and he suddenly feels that surge of power his father was talking about, the sudden blast of air that hits his face and whips his hair. A blast of cold energy that rushes through his blood and twists around him, powerful, unstoppable. 

He is the living embodiment of a hurricane, carrying a power like no other. 

 

_ Now rise, descendants of the storm. _

 

He hovers back to the ground, feeling dizzy yet empowered. He knows history teachers will speak of him for thousands of years after him, and he will be remembered, as all faerie princes are. He is filled with a power and an energy like no other, one that only other rulers will know of, one that comes with the crown and jewelry he wears. 

The noble faeries are clapping and cheering, and when he opens the window and steps out to the balcony of his palace, the whole kingdom is outside, cheering for their new prince. 

Yet all Koushi can hear is the roaring wind. 


	2. When the cold wind's calling

 

 

Tobio climbs up the rope ladder, still watching the time. He knows he must do this swiftly, quickly and efficiently. He looks down below, at the circle drawn with ash, and leaps. He feels himself fall freely, relishing in the moment before landing squarely atop the mummy. He swings Matsukaze in a deadly ark and slices the dummy’s straw and cloth head clean off. He springs off, does a backflip, and lands outside the circle, crouched. He slides his katana back in the sheath strapped to his back. 

“Show off.” Shouyou mumbles, but he’s grinning. Tobio steps away, leaning against the wall, watching the rest take their turns. 

Shouyou goes next, his fiery locks catching alight in the golden afternoon sun as he takes out his knives and throws them, sticking one in the dummy’s wooden chest, square in the centre, and another one in the area where the stomach should be. He throws them with such strength that the wooden doll falls to the floor, disrupting the ring of ash, making it billow up into the air. 

“Good job!” Ittetsu says, clapping, jotting something down on his clipboard. 

“But be less aggressive next time, will you? The rest need to train too.” Keishin mutters. “By the Angel…”

Shouyou nods absentmindedly and walks over to Tobio, giving him a high five. Together they can decimate anything that stands in their way, so a wooden dummy should have a lot to fear. Such is the way of the  _ parabatai.  _

Another dummy is brought in, and this time, it’s Kei’s turn. His look is controlled, cold as ice. He unsheathes his own twin swords, Shu and Saku, and with unnerving precision and speed, slices off the arms and legs in record time. The ash doesn’t move.

Keishin nods, approvingly. Finally, it’s Tadashi’s turn. The slim boy looks determined, but as he holds up his bow, something flashes in his brown eyes - maybe nerves, the fear of disappointment. He stills his hands, poises the bow. He pulls the arrow back until the feathers are brushing his face. He sucks in a breath, the silence and expectation building up in the room. You could hear a pin drop. He lets the arrow fly. 

It passes through the dummy’s head and impales itself in the wall behind it, leaving a hole in the straw head, making a solid sound as it buries itself in the wood. Shouyou whistles. 

“That...will be all for now.” Keishin says after a few seconds in which nobody knows what to say.

They exit the training room silently. Kei and Tadashi head to their rooms, Shoyou and Tobio to theirs. 

Tobio sighs and closes the door behind him. He takes off his training gear, shoves it into a pile to be washed later, and then steps into the shower. He relaxes almost immediately under the cool touch of water. He knows he will get a good grade on this test, he always does. He’s not quite so good at the written part. History is somewhat of a blur, and he’s never been fond of it. 

He steps out of the shower, and stares at himself in the mirror for a minute. He’s not vain, since he rarely looks at himself in the mirror, but today he takes his time. Tobio looks at his arms, covered in runes, his neck, the muscles on his torso. His gaze catches on the scars on his skin, some from faded runes, others from battle, others from training, all with a story. Some runes are permanent on his skin: The  Angelic Rune ,  Agility, Strength, Voyance, Equilibrium, Mnemosyne. The  _ parabatai  _ rune. 

Tobio gets dressed in a loose sweater and jeans, then goes downstairs to join everyone in the kitchen. For now, only them four are there, since Ryuu and Nishinoya have left to Idris to finish their training, and Hajime and Asahi are somewhere else in Japan, taking care of demon activity. 

“Where’s Tadashi?” Shoyou asks, jumping on a stool and sitting on the kitchen island. Kei rolls his eyes. 

“He’s still showering.” the blonde replies, taking out a bottle of water from the fridge. 

“That was a very good shot. I didn’t know he could do that.” Shouyou says. 

“I did.” Kei says. 

“He never shot like that in training.” says Shouyou, putting a finger on his cheek, a sign he does when he’s thinking. 

“That’s because you two lovebirds -” he looks back and forth between Shouyou and Tobio. “- are too involved in each other to actually notice  _ anything  _ else in training.”

_ We aren’t lovebirds.  _ Tobio thinks, but doesn’t say it, leaning against the counter. Instead, he shoots something back at Kei. “What about you two? You’re always together. It’s almost like you’re  _ parabatai. _ ”

“Yeah, why aren’t you? Tadashi told me he wants to be your  _ parabatai. _ ” Shouyou pushes, leaning forward on the countertop, fingers curled on the edge. 

Kei sighs, exasperated, and his voice comes out even grumpier than usual. “I’ve already told you - I don’t want a  _ parabatai  _ because I want to go to the Scholomance, remember?” 

The Scholomance is the special Shadowhunter Academy, where only the most elite train to become Centurions, Shadowhunters so important even the Law escapes them sometimes. Centurions have access to the Spiral Labyrinth and the Silent Brother’s archives, the main reason Kei wants to become one. He is skilled at fighting, but it his not his priority, even as a Shadowhunter. The Scholomance has only been reopened since the Dark War and the Cold Peace. 

Centurions are not allowed  _ parabatai.  _

“What’s going on?” Tadashi pipes in as he walks into the kitchen, tying his damp hair in a low ponytail. 

“Nothing.” Kei mutters and then puts on his headphones, leaving the kitchen and heading for the library. 

He doesn’t like speaking about the subject with Tadashi, his dearest friend, because it pains him as much as it pains Tadashi. He knows they can’t be  _  parabatai _ , but it’s not just the Scholomance, for though Centurions aren’t allowed  _ parabatai,  _ an unrequited lover isn’t either.

“What’s up with him?” Tadashi asks, pointing behind him as he takes something out of a cupboard. Chocolate chip cookies. He puts them on the island, and Hinata jumps off, sitting on one of the stools. Tobio sits with them too. 

“Beats me.” Tobio says, even though it isn’t true. He knows, because Kei has told him. Even though they don’t get along, he seems to deem him trustworthy enough to tell him his secret.

They eat cookies and talk about training, the Clave, what scores they’ll get. There aren’t ranks in the Shadowhunter world, but to move along in training one must be good at everything, the written exam and the physical one. Kei always gets top grades in both subjects, Tadashi gets better grades in the written exam and Shouyou and Tobio barely scrape by in the written one. 

They are all so different, yet all so alike. They are akin to one another not only in the fact that they are Nephilim, and that the Angel’s blood runs through their veins. They are alike in the fact that all their parents are dead, or their location is unknown. Orphans, all of them, taken in under Takeda Ittetsu’s wing, trained in the way of the Nephilim. Usually, a single family runs the Institute, but here in Tokyo, the Clave has made an exception. 

Tobio was taken in when he was seven, rather old for a Shadowhunter child. The Voyance rune had not been made upon him, he had never seen a stele in his life. Kicked out of the orphanage he lived in for scaring the children with visions of monsters and tormenting the adults, he wandered the streets of Tokyo alone, terrified by visions of demons and vampires and werewolves that nobody else could see. One night, on a patrol run, Hajime and Asahi had run into him screaming and crying as a Drevak demon loomed over him, ready to devour him. Luckily, the Shadowhunters had been just in time, and had driven their seraph blades into its body at lightning speed. They took the boy to the Institute, and adopted him as one of their own. His training was somewhat sped up, the slightest bit harder, but it didn’t matter. 

Tobio was haunted by nightmares of his own, and they were not of demons.

“I’m going on a run.” Tobio announces all of the sudden. He stands up briskly and heads up the stairs, when a hand is pulling on his arm. 

“Wait, Tobio - don’t you want me to come with you?” Shouyou asks, eyes concerned. Tobio shrugs him off. 

“No thanks. I want to go alone.” 

He feels the pain that tugs at him under his ribs, and feels it hit him in the side when he catches sight of the redhead’s painful expression, but he bears it and keeps walking up the stairs without looking back. 

He changes into his patrol clothes, slips a few knives into his jacket, straps Matsukaze to his back, puts a seraph blade into one of the bands on his legs and a stele in the other. 

Instead of heading back down the stairs, he opens his bedroom window, not wanting to face his friends. He’s done this before - he stands on the windowsill, closes the window behind him, turns, and jumps. He likes this feeling of falling, it’s the closest he has to flying. He enjoys the butterflies in his stomach, and welcomes the air that rushes past him, making his jacket and hair fly up. He sees the ground coming closer, but it isn’t like plummeting to his death, more like gently floating downwards. Tobio lands in a crouch, completely silent. In his years of training, he’s done this countless times. Granted, from smaller heights, but he did it on shards of glass. 

He takes off at a fast run. He runs every evening, but it’s usually with Shouyou, a race to see who can run the farthest, the fastest, the longest. They laugh and grin at each other, slipping past mundanes and jumping over fences, springing onto lampposts and leaping from one to another, somersaulting over fallen branches in the park and swinging from branches. 

They usually run for long minutes, trying to beat each other and their time records every evening, trying to strengthen their legs and calm their burning lungs, train their fastly beating hearts to keep up. 

Today, Tobio runs alone. He doesn’t race anyone but himself, pushes himself harder today. He ducks into the park and runs like his life depends on it, the path flying beneath him like it’s not there, his feet barely touching the ground before they’re in the air again, his jacket and hair flying behind him too. It’s been over seven minutes at top speed and he’s not tired, the familiar burn in his lungs creeping around his sides but not there yet. He can go for longer, running to the sound of the roaring of the wind and the roaring of his blood. 

He keeps running along the winding paths of the Sumida park, the river running beside him, carrying whispers of magic. 

He stops when he arrives at the curve of the river, where it slows. His lungs are on fire now, his heart drumming hard against his ribs in his chest. He’s heaving, panting, hands on his knees. When he looks up, he sees something in the river. Not something, some _ one. _

Without pausing to think about it, he plunges into the river. The cold water is like an electric discharge, he can feel the air be knocked out of his lungs. The river is not as clean as one would expect, but he doesn’t need to see underwater. He comes up to the surface, then, looking around himself, he sees the body, surrounded by a halo of silver hair. Tobio swims as fast as he can, cutting through the water beautifully and efficiently, melding with it. He reaches the body, turning it over so it’s facing up, and he feels a slight movement in the person’s chest, a sign that they’re breathing. He hooks his arm under their chin, lightly, keeping their head above water and the grip not too tight. He pulls up on shore, and drags them out. 

The first thing Tobio notices is that nobody has rushed over to them, or even yelled at them, or jumped at the fact that a body seemed to be moving on its own. So this person is definitely a Downworlder. The second thing he notices is their hair. It’s silver coloured, like fine silk threads, the light of moonlight and the colour of stardust. It’s breathtaking. 

The person - a boy - is naked, and his body seems to be trembling. Tobio takes off his jacket and puts it on them, feeling the cold winter air hit his bare arms. The next thing he notices is the most alarming. When he moves the boy’s head to the side, searching for something - marks, scars, a rune - he is shocked to discover that the boy’s ears have a slight curve, a point to them. He jumps back. 

Tobio is not supposed to help this boy, for he is Faerie, and since the Cold Peace, none can. 

He inches back in curiosity. He has seen faeries before, but none like this - none so human-like, none so beautiful. The boy seems to be sleeping, his face graceful and poised even in this situation. His long silvery hair reaches his shoulders. The only thing on his skin that stands out is a beauty mark next to his right eye. 

Tobio has two options now: 

One - leave him here to die, or til one of his own comes looking for him.

Two - take him back  to the Institute, treat him and tend to his wounds until he awakes. 

The dark haired boy picks the faerie up into his arms, carrying him. He starts thinking about it. 

How did he get there? Since the Cold Peace, most Faeries don’t leave their realms, choosing to stay where they are not hated or treated like  _ pariahs.  _ Why was he there? Why is he naked? Is he dangerous? Will they kick him out of the Institute?

He doesn't know. He slings the body over his shoulder and takes off at a jog, thankful that nobody can see them. It would look...odd. 

Tobio reaches the Institute quickly, before sundown. Though he’s armed, he doesn’t think he can deal with demons at the moment, not with somebody to protect. 

He can’t walk into the Institute through the main door, since the Downworlder be burned, but instead, he walks through the side door, the one that leads to the Sanctuary. Once he’s there, he leaves the boy on the cool marble tiles. Tobio then realises how  _ cold  _ he is, the icy water drenching his shirt. The gear is waterproof, but he still feels the water drip in rivulets down his neck and back. 

“Tobio! You’re back! Why didn’t you come in the front door?” Ittetsu says, walking into the Sanctuary. His eyes shift from the drenched boy to the unconscious one on the floor. It clicks. His smile drops.

“What have you done? Why is there - who is he?” he demands, foot tapping on the floor impatiently. 

“I - uh - he - I went for a run and he was in the water, and he was unconscious, so I brought him here. He might need help.” Tobio explains, scratching the back of his head. 

“Is he a mundane?” Ittetsu asks. Tobio shakes his head. 

“A warlock?”

“...No.”

“A vampire?”

“...No.”

“A werewolf?”

“...No.”

The man’s hands flew to his head, realising the obvious. “He’s a...Faerie?” he whispers the last part. 

“Yes.”

“We can’t take him in, Tobio! Don’t you see? If the Clave finds out...I don’t want to think about it.” Ittetsu exclaims. 

“But he’s unconscious! We can’t leave him on the streets, he might die!” Tobio retaliates, holding his ground. He kneels over the boy, almost protectively, looking up at the Head of the Institute with imploring, insistent eyes. 

“Please.” he begs. He doesn’t know why he’s going to such lengths for a total stranger, but he just knows he has to. He feels a strange attraction to him, a weird gravitational pull towards him, like he must remain by his side. It’s different from a  _ parabatai  _ bond, but he doesn’t know how it’s different. Yet. 

“Alright. But if anyone finds out, you will be held responsible, understood?”

“Yes.” Tobio puts a hand over his heart. 

“Now come on, let’s bring him to the infirmary.”

Tobio picks the boy up, and carries him to the infirmary, setting him on one of the beds. He wants to draw an  _ iratze,  _ a healing rune, something to make him better, but Downworlders can’t bear the marks, so all he does is watch him sleep long into the hours of night. 


	3. And the sky is clear and bright

Tobio stares at the resting body on the bed beside his chair. The Faerie boy is beautiful, undoubtedly. He has been dressed in a thin, white robe, and left to rest, hoping he wakes up. His features are angular yet soft, his neck high and thin, his collarbones delicate. His eyes, though closed, are beautiful, Tobio is sure of it. His body is lithe, supple, slight, delicate yet strong, much like a dancer’s. His hands are delicate too, though they have evidently wielded something - a sword, a bow, a knife, a weapon - because he has the same calluses in the same place Tobio does. But where Tobio’s hands are rough, the boy's are elegant, with long, slender fingers like a musician’s. Truly, music thrums through this boy. His skin is white, a porcelain colour, yet it seems to glow. His hair is light grey, like threads of silver and platinum. It shines under the moonlight, like a halo around his head, giving the boy an ethereal look.

Tobio has been sitting here for the Angel knows how long, waiting for the Faerie to wake up. He doesn't eat, doesn't sleep, just sits with Matsukaze strapped to his back, watching and waiting. He observes the pattern of his rising and falling chest, hears the boy's soft, small breaths in the middle of the night, times their breathing, slows his heart. There is no rune for staying up for three days straight, but he’s done it before. Shouyou brings him food and watches over for a while before falling asleep. He draws an Endurance rune on him, knowing runes drawn by parabatai work better. 

Tobio doesn’t know why, but he feel somewhat of a...connection to this boy, like something tugging at the strings of his heart, a voice telling him that he’s important, that he needs to be helped. The Angel has a plan for everyone, and maybe this boy is his plan. 

  
  
  


Tadashi knocks three times on the door, then waits for a few seconds. He hears the door click open, and he steps inside. 

He’s always been jealous of Kei’s room. The bed was next to the wall on the right hand side, and the walls were painted white. The bedspread was light green. Large, floor-to-ceiling windows facing the city were opposite the bed, making the room look much bigger, and filling it with light.

Kei didn’t have to ask what Tadashi wanted. They’d do this often - Kei would lie on the bed, listening to music, and Tadashi would rest beside him, listening faintly to the music from the headphones, just happy to be in his company. 

But today is different. 

“I need your help.” Tadashi mumbles. 

“With what?” Kei rolls his eyes. 

“Training. I need you to help me train.” Tadashi says. 

“But you got good results in the last exam…” Kei replies. He’s not lazy normally, but he doesn’t know why doesn’t want to. Something in his gut is twisting, telling him not to help Tadashi. 

“I want to get even better results. I’m the worst out of the four of us, and I want to be at your level. You’re so good at everything, Tsukki…” Tadashi uses the nickname he gave him as kids, knowing it’ll help. The blonde seems to think about it for a few seconds before sighing. 

“Fine. Go get your training gear, and meet me downstairs in two minutes.”

Tadashi grins inwardly, and rushes out the room. 

Something inside Kei tells him this is a bad idea. 

  
  
  


“Tobio? Go to your room and sleep, please.” Shouyou mumbles, walking into the Infirmary and rubbing his eyes. 

“I can’t. I need to wait for him to wake up.” Tobio replies. “I’m fine.”

He isn’t very convincing, though. His eyes are red-rimmed and dry from not getting enough sleep, and they burn. Dark bags hang under them, making his eyes look sunken in. Dried saliva sticks to his chin, and even a light shadow has appeared on his jaw. His stomach grumbles often, and his legs are weak. He can’t even sit with one of them propped up on the chair anymore, he just lets them hang loose. His back is on the chair, and his head hangs backwards slightly, a small attempt to look like he’s sitting up straight. His arms hang by his sides. His vision is bleary. 

“No, you’re not.” Shouyou concludes, angry. “I can feel it too, you know! I haven’t been able to sleep properly in days, because you won’t rest! My eyes burn and my stomach hurts even though I eat every day, unlike some people!”

Tobio looks up at him with bleary, unfocused eyes. He knows he’s telling the truth - what one feels, the other will too, for they are one in body and spirit. He knows Shouyou can feel his uneasiness and worry, not just his unhealthy state. 

Shoyou’s voice softens, and his eyes are pleading. “If not for you, for me.”

Tobio sighs resignedly and accepts, standing up. The chair screeches when it’s pushed back and Tobio flinches, since his head aches so much that every sound feels like someone’s drilling into his skull. 

Shouyou helps him walk and takes him to his room, tucking him into bed. 

“Good night, Tobio.” 

The taller Shadowhunter would say something, but he’s so tired the mere thought of speaking feels like too much effort, so he nods slightly and closes his eyes gratefully, quickly falling asleep. 

  
  
  


“Again! Tadashi, really?” Kei exclaims. 

“Sorry Tsukki!” Tadashi yells back, and then swings the sword again. It doesn’t even hit the centre of the dummy - it just hits its legs. 

“Here, let me show you.” Kei sighs, walking over to Tadashi. He takes the sword out of his hand, asks him to stand back, and swings it hard, making a very big dent in the wood. 

“Woah, Tsukki! That’s so cool!” Tadashi looks up at him in adoration. Kei holds his stare for a while before turning his gaze to the floor. Something burns inside him, but he ignores it. 

“Again.” 

Tadashi takes hold of the sword, closes his eyes, concentrates. He swings it once more, and - 

it doesn’t work. It passes the dummy’s head and slices it off. Tadashi lets out a frustrated groan. 

“I’m just stupid.” he grumbles, and then sits down, the sword clanging against the wooden floor as it falls.

It pains Kei to see him like this - done with himself, giving up. He can’t bear to see Tadashi sad, it makes something pang in his chest, like he’s getting punched. 

“You’re not stupid.” Kei says in a soft voice, crouching beside the boy. “It’s just a matter of practice.” 

He helps Tadashi up, then takes up the sword. He gives it to Tadashi, then stands behind him, holding his arms out from behind, wrapping his fingers around his wrists. Where he touches, it burns hot and cold, and makes the fire in his stomach swell. 

“Like this?” Tadashi whispers, and Kei nods behind him, fearful of speaking, of ruining this, of saying anything. This shouldn’t feel  _ this way -  _ Tadashi is his childhood friend, so his feelings should be innocent, friendly - not this. He shouldn’t feel tingly. He shouldn’t want to press his lips to his neck, feel like this is such an intimate moment, embrace him from behind and never let go.

Instead, he raises Tadashi’s arms and swings the sword, slamming it hard into the wood, making splinters fly, this time so hard the dummy’s top part falls to the floor, its body cut in half. 

Nobody says anything for minutes, just listening to their heavy breaths and their steady beating hearts. Kei is panting into his ear, though he’s barely done anything, hot swirls of breath running down Tadashi’s neck, making him shiver. Kei can feel Tadashi’s heart racing, or maybe he’s picturing it, since he can only hear his own heart pounding. 

“Kei.” comes Tadashi’s voice, and it’s never sounded so sweet, so electrifying. Tadashi turns his head to face him, and he’s so close Kei can count every freckle on his cheeks. 

But he doesn’t. He pulls his arms away, recoils from his touch, feeling disappointed at the loss of touch, of closeness, of odd intimacy. Tadashi drops the sword, but neither of them react to the sound. They just stare at each other with wide eyes, the weight of disappointment heavy on them, something inside their stomach’s coiling. Tadashi looks like he just got stabbed in the stomach, his eyes pleading for something, but Kei doesn’t know what. The blonde doesn’t say anything, just turns and leaves, abandoning the boy in the training room. 

_ This  _ is why he didn’t want to help him. 

_ This  _ is why they can’t be parabatai. 

  
  
  


When Tobio wakes up, he’s uncomfortable. His legs feel stiff and his feet feel too hot. He pushes off the sheets and realises he’s still in the heavy, winter patrol gear, and in the warm boots. He takes them off with heavy hands, and undoes his shoelaces with clumsy fingers. It feels so nice to have naked skin under the sheets, to have his feet be free from their (comfortable, but hot) prison. He relaxes back into bed. The clock marks six AM, and though by now he’d be training, he’s far too tired. He goes back to sleep. 

  
  
  


When he wakes up again, he’s no longer tired. Tobio checks the clock. Twelve in the afternoon. 

He springs up from his bed, and changes into his training clothes. He flies down the stairs, takes an apple from the kitchen, and eats it on the way to the Training Room. It’s downstairs, one level below the main floor. Even though the entire Institute is made of white stone, resembling a modern cathedral, under the main floor the walls and floors are dark, polished wood. He bursts open the door. 

Kei is sharpening his swords, flinching at the sudden bang of the door on the wall. Shouyou is throwing knives at the target. Three of them are already lodged in the centre. Tadashi’s shooting arrows at a moving target, hitting the heart area/vital organs every time. 

“I’m so sorry I’m late.” Tobio apologises. 

“It’s okay, Shouyou filled me in on the details.” Keishin says. Shouyou looks at Tobio and waves. Tobio sheepishly waves back. 

Keishin gathers them in a circle, and explains the day’s lessons. Coordinated attacks. 

Shouyou and Tobio grin. Tadashi gives Kei his typical soft, sweet smile. 

First up, it’s the  _ parabatai.  _ They hit each target with ease, moving comfortably around each other, slicing and cutting at the moving targets as they swing swords and throw knives.

Tadashi and Kei don’t have that bond, not in the same way, but even though Tadashi’s skills falter at times, they end up making it in record time too. 

“Good job, guys!” Keishin congratulates them. “Now go shower, you stink.”

“Thanks, Coach.”

Before heading up to his room though, Tobio passes by the Infirmary. He sits by the Faerie boy once more. He isn’t awake. He’s breathing, but he’s not yet conscious. Tobio reaches out a hand and pushes the hair away from his face. Something travels up his skin - a gust of wind, a rush of air, something that flows into him, into his chest and lungs and makes him feel alive. He feels that tug at his heart again, but he doesn’t know why. Almost painfully, he tears his eyes away, and leaves, whispering a promise of return. 

  
  
  
  


That night, Keishin rushes into each of their rooms with the same message. 

“Get into your gear, now! Demon activity not far from here, and you have to go.” 

They all change, slipping weapons into belts, strapping them across their chests, on their backs, in their jackets and into straps on their legs. They draw runes on each other - Courage in Battle, Endurance, Accuracy, Stamina.  

With a few words of luck from Keishin and Ittetsu, they’re off, flying down the front steps of the Institute.

They run at top speed, Shouyou and Tobio taking a small moment to relish in the fact that they’re the fastest. The cool night air feels good on their hot skin as they run faster, steeling their thoughts, preparing themselves for battle, because that’s what they train for, that’s their Mission. Killing demons, slaying evil. 

They dart into a park, and speed up, already sensing the demon energy oozing into the night air, the scent of ichor and plain  _ evil -  _ something moist and rotten, like rotting garbage and burning flesh. 

A loud snapping sound cuts through the air, sounding multiple times, like pincers clasping, and a horrifying sound, like the gargled sound of someone drowning on blood. Only one kind of demon makes that sound - a Ravener demon. 

The scent gets stronger, the sounds get louder and the four Shadowhunters run faster. 

When they arrive, the scene is a mess. Six, maybe seven Ravener demons are in a children’s playground, spraying ichor over the swings, cutting at the slides with their pincers and claws, the scorpion-like stinger boring holes in the see-saw. 

“Let’s do this.” Shouyou says, then charges, knives gleaming in silver light. 

He flings them at a demon, sticking three in its side at the same time. The demon screeches, a sound like blades sharpening and bones snapping, before it disappears into the hellish dimension it came from. 

Tobio charges too, pulling Matsukaze from its sheath, and jumps at one of the demons. He lands squarely on its back, and jumps just as the stinger on its back snaps at him. He wields the katana and cuts the tail off. Ichor sprays, and he dodges it. When he lands this time, he drives Matsukaze through its middle, making sure it sticks out the other side. He backflips off, just as the demon screeches and sends out a gust of ichor before vanishing. One drop reaches Tobio’s skin, and it hisses as it burns, the sickening, sizzling smell of burning flesh wafting up into the air. He ignores it completely, and moves onto the next demon.

  
  
  


Tadashi’s accidentally dropped his bow, and now his hands are shaking, unable to reach for the knives in his jacket as he retreats backwards, watching the Ravener snap its pincers menacingly and wave its stinger. His back is against a tree - he’s got nowhere to go. 

_ This is it,  _ he thinks, looking up to the sky in prayer to the Angel,  _ I’m sorry, Raziel. I let you down as a Nephilim… _

All of the sudden, the demon squeals and the stench of ichor is no longer as close. Kei has slammed his feet into the demon with such force it’s pushed aside, falling to the ground on its side. 

_ “Harahel!”  _ the blonde exclaims, invoking the angel. The seraph blade lights up and he wields it, bringing it down into the demon and slashing a long, deep line across its stomach, cutting it in half as it shrieks and cries out. 

He jumps off as ichor begins spraying, just in time for it to go back to its dimension. 

“Tsukki…” Tadashi murmurs, not knowing what else to say.  _ Thank you for saving my life.  _ He can’t say it, all words lodged in the knot in his throat. 

Kei says nothing, instead choosing to take off Tadashi’s bow and hand it to him, along with his quiver. 

“Your welcome.” he says, and turns just in time to slam the seraph blade into the demon’s face. It shrieks its horrifying shriek and dies. 

“Kei - I - I need a rune.” Tadashi stutters, pulling up his sleeve. The blonde boy nods, taking out his stele. 

“Which one?” he asks, fingertips gliding over his arm lightly. 

“Fearless.” 

They aren’t parabatai, or married, but when they draw runes on each other they’re more effective, stronger. The slight burn from the stele is always dulled, yet the rune glows brighter. Neither can explain it. 

Kei finishes it, his nimble fingers and skilled hands drawing a perfect rune. “Done.”

“I -” Tadashi struggles to find a word. ‘Thank you’ seems like too little, but nothing seems to be enough. His mouth is dry. 

Kei simply turns around and nods towards the playground, where four other demons are still on the loose. 

“You coming?” he tilts his head, and Tadashi nods, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. 

  
  
  


Shoyou whips out the knives and hurls them at the demon, moving quickly to the side as the Ravener shakes before disappearing. He laughs triumphantly. He looks to the side, and sees Tobio being chased by a demon. He thinks about rushing forward, when he stops, a feeling of ease settling deep in his mind. Tobio’s got this. He watches him run up to the monkey bars and jump onto the metal pole, crouching as he lands on it to propulse himself before jumping back off, driving Matsukaze into the demon’s back as it crashes into the metal. 

Shouyou sees another demon approach, but he’s faster. He signals something to Tobio, and he understands it immediately. He runs, faster than the demon, and Tobio joins his hands and puts the palms up. Both Tobio and Shouyou feel the doubled rush of energy flow into them as they work as a team, the  _ parabatai  _ bond doubling their strength and power. Shouyou pulls out a seraph blade, invokes it -  _ “Sachiel!” -  _ before jumping one-footed onto Tobio’s open palms. 

The taller boy boosts him up, and Shouyou backflips into the air, flinging the seraph blade into the demon’s head before landing behind it, sure-footed. The demon vanishes, and both boys feel a surge of happiness in their stomachs, swelling, wrapping around them. Their happiness is doubled too. 

“Let’s go see if there are any more in the area.” Tobio suggests, and Shouyou nods, following close behind him as they run farther into the park.

  
  
  


Kei wields Shu and Saku, burying them deep within the Ravener’s sides, and pulls away - 

but not before one of its pincers grabs him by the wrist, cutting deep. It stings, like he’s been struck by a thousand thunderbolts, and it feels like his wrist is snapping in two. He’s about to cut the demon’s head off, when an arrow strikes its pincer, cutting it straight off. The arrow sails before striking a lamppost, the demon’s limb still hanging from it. The Ravener cries out before evaporating. 

“Behind you!” Kei yells. Tadashi moves to the side just in time to avoid the demon, rolling on the floor. He’s lying down, but he’s still got a clear shot - he yanks an arrow from the quiver, strings it, aims, and shoots the demon straight between the eyes. It falls to the ground and vanishes. 

Tadashi scrambles up, running to Kei, who’s lying on the ground, holding his wrist in an iron grip. Though the cut itself isn’t all that deep, ichor got into the wound, making it burn like a thousand suns. 

Tadashi kneels over him, legs on either side of his hips, holding his wrist in a vice grip to stop the bleeding. He blushes suddenly, at the intimacy of the position - his hips resting over Kei’s below him - but he then forgets it when he hears Kei’s groan of pain. It’s a horrible sound Tadashi hopes never to hear again. He pulls his stele from his jacket and pushes Kei’s sleeve up. 

“Tadashi -  _ Iratze - _ ” he groans, letting his head fall back, his face contorting in pain. 

Tadashi shushes him, trying to soothe the boy beneath him. “I know, I know.”

He presses the stele to the wound, and draws at lighting speed, willing his everything into the rune.  _ Heal, heal,  _ **_heal_ ** _ - _

The rune glows the brightest Tadashi’s ever seen, almost blinding him, and the  _ iratze  _ begins its magic, the wound slowly closing, the pain slowly easing until it’s bearable. Kei relaxes, his breathing slowly calmed down. Tadashi stares down at him, loses hold on his wrist slightly. 

“Does it hurt?” he asks, genuinely concerned. 

Kei smiles up at him lightly. “No,” he breathes, rubbing his wrist a bit. He offers Tadashi a lopsided, small smile, enough to make something in Tadashi swell with joy. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Tadashi replies. He’s then hyperaware of the very taxing position they’re in, and he stands up, confused at the disappointment that weighs him down again. 

He helps Kei get up, and together, they wait in silence for Shouyou and Tobio to come back. 

  
  
  


They all walk back to the Institute, too tired to run. Tadashi and Shouyou compliment each other excitedly, and Tobio and Kei walk in comfortable silence.

When they get there, everybody heads straight to the shower after a few words of congratulation from Keishin and Ittetsu. They don’t really listen - it’s late, and they’re completely famished. They have the next day off. 

After changing into his pajamas - a loose shirt and shorts - he walks back down the corridor barefoot. It’s quiet, and dark. He holds a witchlight in his hand, and, though he’s afraid of the dark, bravely stalks down the stairs.  He heads to the Infirmary, and sits in his chair. 

The Faerie boy isn’t awake yet, but Tobio wants him to awake. 

He takes his hands, threads their fingers together. It’s strange, but their fingers slot perfectly next to each other’s. Another gust of wind bursts into Tobio. 

_ Wake up,  _ he wills the boy, tightening his grip on his hand, shutting his eyes closed.  _ Wake up, please. Wake up, wake up - _

Suddenly, the boy squeezes his hand back. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	4. Misty mountains sing and beckon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so if you go back to the first chapter, I changed Daichi's name for Hajime's, because of a plot hole I hadn't noticed. So now it's Iwa-chan who saves Tobio. Right now, it's not that much of a change. It will be later on, trust me.   
> I hope you like this chapter! Kudos and comments are always appreciated.

Tobio’s first instinct is to flee. Though he has been waiting and wanting this for days, now he doesn’t know what to do now. He slowly opens his eyes. The boy’s hand is still gripped tightly around his own, digging into his skin with blunt nails. His eyes aren’t open, but his eyes are moving under his eyelids, like he’s having a bad dream. 

Tobio doesn’t know what to do, his ‘Fight or Flight’ instinct caught between running away or staying and watching. The idea of him being the first person he sees when he wakes fills Tobio with a strange sort of delight. 

His eyes open. 

To contrast with his silvery, ethereal look his eyes are light brown, wide, the colour of desert dunes and sandy winds. He blinks a few times, then looks around. 

Tobio is stuck in his place, hardly breathing, just watching. Something warm rolls down his hand. Blood. He ignores it. 

“Whe - where am I?” the boy asks. His voice is sweet, like Christmas bells, like children’s laughter and a songbird’s morning call. 

Tobio blinks twice, before saying in the most formal voice he can muster, “You’re in the Tokyo Institute.”

The faerie boy then looks to Tobio, as if seeing him for the first time, taking him in. His eyes widen, and he looks shocked. “Who are you?”

The Shadowhunter clears his throat. “I am Kageyama Tobio.”

The boy’s eyes fall on Tobio’s neck, and then on his arms and hands. “You are one of the Angel’s warriors.” he observes, all whilst not noticing he’s gripping tight onto Tobio’s hand. 

“Yes.” 

The black-haired boy’s hand finally starts to ache, and Shouyou wails from above,  _ “What on  _ **_Earth_ ** _ are you doing to yourself now, Kageyama?”  _

Tobio looks down at their hands, and the boy quickly retrieves his hand. Tobio feels air rush between his fingers, and they feel far too cold. The warmth the boy provided him is no longer there, and though his hand is bleeding, he still yearns to hold his hand, to hold it like it’s a delicate flower. He doesn’t know why. 

“Why am I here?” The boy asks again, breaking Tobio out of his daze. 

“You were in a lake.” he explains. “I rescued you, brought you here and waited until you woke up.”  _ I couldn’t sleep because of you,  _ Tobio thinks, but doesn’t say it.

“Oh.”

“What is your name?” Tobio asks. 

Something dark flashes across his face, like worn out marble that stands tall amidst deserted ruins. “My name is Sugawara Koushi.”

The name sounds powerful, like it invokes something mysterious, magical, dangerous. It sounds much deeper than what Tobio supposes the boy means it to be like. He doesn’t ask further though, and leaves it at that. 

“Are you hungry?” Tobio asks suddenly, standing up. “Or thirsty?”

“I do yearn for something to drink.” Koushi says, and Tobio is a bit confused at the way he phrases it, but then he remembers that it’s the way faeries talk, as if reciting an old poem. 

“Right away.” Tobio says. He stalks off to the kitchen and fills a glass of water. He bumps into the door frame, and instead of a low, muffled sound, it’s a loud clanging one, and he remembers he has his  _ stele  _ in the pocket of his shorts. He thinks momentarily about going up to Shouyou’s room and asking for an  _ iratze,  _ but it’s rather late and he’d probably say something along the lines of:  _ “I’m going to shove that  _ stele  _ right up your -” _

He’ll just draw it himself.  Runes drawn by one’s self aren’t very effective, for they require the energy of the person who’s drawing it, but for this small one it should be enough. The blood’s already drying anyway. 

He carries the cup to the Infirmary, where Koushi is sitting upright, fiddling with his hospital gown. 

Tobio sets the cup on the small bedside table, then turns to Koushi.

“What are these garments I’m wearing? They’re odd.” Koushi looks up at Tobio like a confused child looks up at their mother, and Tobio takes a brief moment to admit that it’s incredibly endearing.

“It’s a hospital gown.” Tobio explains. “I can give you something more comfortable to change into, if you’d like.”

“Oh.” Koushi seems to think about it, and nods. 

Tobio hands him the glass of water, and watches in awe as he tips his head back. His neck curves elegantly, his lips soft as he gulps the water down. Tobio wants to run his fingers over his neck, trace it, draw it. He can’t draw, but now he feels like the artist in him might flourish as he watches this elegant, graceful boy move and talk and drink and speak. 

He leaves and heads to his room. The witchlight is warm in his palm, to contrast the cool marble tiles beneath his bare feet. The moon is bright, offering some light farther ahead, where the glow of the witchlight can’t reach. He goes into his room and looks through his closet, throwing clothes behind him onto the bed and making a complete mess until he finds what he’s looking for. It’s a white sweater, and a very long one. Shouyou found it for him whilst going shopping, and since he’s so short compared to Tobio, he bought the largest one. It reaches Tobio’s knees. He doesn’t wear it at all, but this should fit Koushi, since he feels like the faerie might be uncomfortable wearing jeans. 

He races back down with the sweater and a pair of boxers. Instead of walking back down the stairs, he slides down the bannister, jumping when he gets to the end. 

When he steps into the Infirmary, Koushi looks at him somewhat suspiciously. Tobio tries smiling (he  _ tries.  _ He gets an E for Effort) and hands him the clothes, turning around to face away from him.

“Why are you turning from me?” Koushi asks, holding up the sweater. Tobio hears the bed creak as the boy stands. 

“To give you privacy when you change.” Tobio replies. He hears the shuffle of clothes, and sees the hospital gown fall to the floor. His cheeks flare up. 

“Why? I am not ashamed of my body. Are you ashamed of my body? Do I have something on it that amuses you?” Koushi asks. Though he could be accusing Tobio, he isn’t, and his voice rings with innocence. 

“N - no, of course not!” Tobio stammers. “It’s just that - well - you know…” 

Koushi frowns and tilts his head, though Tobio can’t see it. “What do I know?”

Tobio’s red from head to toe, and he fidgets with his fingers. “Well, for - uh - most people, being naked is something private. That’s why we wear clothes.”

“Don’t you wear clothes for protection?” Koushi asks, and Tobio hears the bed creak again. 

“Well - that too, but mostly it’s just to cover up.” 

A small silence falls between them, before Koushi breaks it gently, graciously, as faeries do everything. “You can turn around now, if you wish to.”

Tobio bends and picks up the discarded hospital gown before turning to Koushi. He’s sitting down, and his nose is in his sleeve. 

“Why are you smelling the sweater?” Tobio asks, confused. 

“It smells good.” 

The Shadowhunter leaves it at that. He puts the hospital gown for washing in the sink beside the cupboard that keeps the medicine, then returns to his chair. He pulls the  _ stele  _ from where it rests against his hip, and puts it on his hand. He can feel the faerie’s gaze on him, how he’s staring at him with eager eyes, as if waiting for a long-awaited show. Tobio puts the  _ stele  _ to his hand, and begins drawing. He can feel his energy seeping into the tool and into his own skin, much like when he draws runes on others. It’s different from when he draws them on Shouyou, because he can feel the energy surge back into him, powering the rune on his collarbone. Now, the energy doesn’t come back but makes the  _ iratze  _ glow faintly. He pulls the  _ stele  _ away and watches his skin patch up slowly.

“I had forgotten the Nephilim burnt lines into their skin to heal themselves. I have not seen one for over a hundred years.” Koushi says. 

Tobio looks up at him in surprise. He knows Faeries are basically immortal, but Koushi looks around his age, so he would have never guessed he’s over a hundred years old. 

“How old are you?” Tobio asks, looking up at Koushi with curious eyes. 

“Young, in the eyes of a Faerie. Ancient, in the eyes of a human.”

And that’s all he offers. Tobio knows they speak in cryptic ways. 

Tobio turns his attention to the large window on the opposite wall. The night sky is no longer midnight blue. It’s turning a lighter shade, like sapphire. The stars twinkle and shine, ruptures in the night sky, bleeding light onto the Earth below. 

“The Sun is going to rise soon.” Koushi says, breaking Tobio out of his trance. He looks at Koushi, and feels something in his chest tighten at the look on his face, the way he longingly gazes at the stars, like he wants to pull them into his arms. “I fear it not; but dread it, for when the Sun takes its place in the sky, the world will awake with it, and this moment will be broken.”

Tobio knows Faeries can’t lie, but he isn’t expecting blatant honesty either. For a moment he wonders whether Koushi truly enjoys his company. 

“The moment needn’t be broken,” Tobio whispers hoarsely. “Not for now.”

“What do you mean?” Koushi asks, still not taking his eyes off the sky. 

“I mean that we should take advantage of the moment.” Tobio sits beside Suga on the bed, mindful to keep some distance between them. They’ve only just met. “For now, we can watch the sun rise. Come with me.” 

Tobio stands and walks to a hidden door in the wall between two beds. He hears the patter of feet behind him, so he knows the Faerie is following him. This place has been his hiding place for years. Not even Shouyou has seen it, so he doesn’t know why he’s showing Koushi this. 

He pushes open the door and steps out onto a small balcony that offers a view of the whole city. 

The small railing is made of white stone, like the outside of the Institute, and the floor is black and white marble, like the one inside the Institute. It’s small, and under the main balconies, so nobody can see it. They rest their hands on the white stone, Tobio making sure they keep their distance, and then he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. The sky is turning a lighter purple-ish colour with the beginning of sunrise. 

“This is beautiful. Sunrise is very different here.” Koushi says, watching in awe, mouth agape. 

“It is.” Tobio agrees. He can’t count the times he’s sat here, watching the sun rise early in the morning, then watching it set in the evening before going back to training. It’s his special place, the one not even the blood of his blood knows, the one he hasn’t shown anyone, because it’s his safe haven and his retreat. Here, he doesn’t need to be a Shadowhunter bent on his mission from Heaven. Here, he doesn’t need to beat himself up training. Here, he isn’t plagued by nightmares. Here, he rests. 

The stars are still shining, albeit dimly. Tobio looks up at them, wishing he could touch them, play amongst them. 

“Apollo makes his journey very early when you’re on Earth.” Koushi says, breaking the silence. It is not cold out, but neither is it hot, and his breath goes up in swirls in the chilly morning air. “His journey is very slow in Faerie.”

_ “For it can be dark in the land under the hill, and the years very long.”  _ Tobio quotes, an old Shadowhunter saying about Faerie. 

“Yes,” says Koushi. “Exactly.”

They watch the sun’s rays dye the sky magenta and lilac and warm yellow in a comfortable silence. 

  
  
  


Kei wakes up slowly, as he always does. Now, he does it slower, because his body is battered and beaten up and he’s tired. His eyes blink open slowly, but the room is dark, the only light coming in filtering from the crack under the door. He tries sitting up, but feels his bones creak and his muscles complain. He’s physically and emotionally drained. His bloody, ichor-covered gear is laying on the floor, his blankets are strewn haphazardly around him, his glasses are set open on the table, and he’s only wearing boxers. He falls back onto the pillows. 

The blonde turns his head to the side, checking the watch. 6 AM. He’s still got two hours. 

He turns again, trying to get comfortable. Though he closes his eyes and wills himself to sleep, his mind is racing now. He wants to get back to that comfortable state in which he’s alert and awake, yet calm and relaxed, nothing but an inky nothingness surrounding him and lulling him to sleep.

His mind has other plans. 

Kei groans and lets himself succumb to his thoughts. 

Unsurprisingly, his first thought when he wakes up is Tadashi. It always has been, and it always will be. His mind drifts to the night before, when Tadashi drew that rune on him. Something,  _ something  _ in them had shifted, changed, like pressing a light switch. Tadashi’s energy flew into him, fired up his veins, and it burned hotter than the pain. The rune glowed as bright as Tadashi’s eyes, the blood of the Angel racing through him. He remembers how ruthless Tadashi looked as he killed the Ravener, the wild look in his eyes spurred on by the Fearless rune, how beautiful he looked as he moved around with ease, as he drove the arrow into the creature. In that moment he was beautiful like a sharp knife, like a venomous snake, like a forest fire. 

Kei needs to get these thoughts out of his head, because they lead nowhere. He can’t think of Tadashi as beautiful, he can’t think of Tadashi as anything outside ‘best friend’, because he’s leaving next year and he’s not coming back in very long. He’ll miss him too terribly to train properly. And Tadashi wants to be his  _ parabatai,  _ but they can’t be, because Kei has one-sided feelings. 

Kei’s head aches. 

He falls asleep once more. 

  
  
  


When the sun rises, finally, they all wake up. Breakfast is longer than usual, since they have the day off. They all realise something. 

“Where’s Tobio?” Shouyou asks as he sits down. 

“Beats me.” Kei says. “Can’t you track him? Y’know, with your…” he points to the rune on Shouyou’s chest. 

“It doesn’t work like that.” Tadashi scolds him, and then looks aside, embarrassed. 

“We should look for him.” Shouyou says, then hops back off the stool. The Institute is quiet. Ittetsu and Keishin are most likely in their room, sleeping. Last night was tiring for them too. 

The main floor of the Institute is large, with black and white marble tiled floors, and a large staircase that splits into two smaller ones that head upwards on opposite sides. They both lead to the first floor, on which all their rooms are located. A smaller staircase at the end of the first floor leads to the second floor. This staircase is made of wood instead of marble. It leads to the study. In the study there’s a trapdoor on the ceiling that leads to the roof. 

Shouyou moves quickly from room to room, but Tobio is not in any of their rooms, nor in the spare ones. He’s not in the study, or the bathroom, or the kitchen, or the roof. He’s not in the Training room downstairs, on the supply cabinet beneath the stairs. Shouyou sits cross-legged on the floor of the main floor, thinking, until it dawns on him. 

_ The Infirmary! _

He stands and rushes into it, and -

Bingo. 

Tobio is sleeping on one of the beds, an arm and a leg hanging over the side of the bed. His mouth is open and a bit of drool is leaking from the side. Truly Tobio.

The faerie boy is sitting on the bed beside him, watching him sleep. His hair spills over his shoulders, cut in a perfectly straight line. His eyes are curious, wide, watching observantly. 

Shoyou walks on his tiptoes, as to not wake his friend, or disturb the boy. 

“I know you’re here.” the faerie boy says. 

Shouyou stops dead in his tracks, foot still lifted slightly. “How did you know I was here?” he whispers. 

“I heard you.”

Shouyou’s eyes widen, but he doesn’t say anything. The Downworlder breaks the silence. 

“Humans sleep in a very different way. Even Nephilim. Their breathing slows, and their mind deactivates. Their body needs to rest every night. Their heart beats at such a dangerously slow pace it almost stills.” 

“That’s something weird to say.” Shouyou comments. “Do faeries not sleep like we do?”

“No,” Koushi looks up at him, “we needn’t sleep every night, nor do we rise with the Sun. Time is different in our lands, and we sleep only when necessary. We rest, of course, but even during sleep our minds are awake and alert.” 

“Do you never tire?” The Shadowhunter says. 

The faerie simply shakes his head. 

Shouyou walks over to the faerie, and clears his throat to get his attention once more. Though he’s a magical creature, he seems unable to divide his attention span. Or maybe he’s far too transfixed on Tobio’s sleeping figure. Shouyou can’t tell. 

“Come with me,” Shouyou says, offering a hand to the boy. He takes it, and the Shadowhunter helps him stand. “Let him sleep.”

Shouyou doesn’t see it, but the faerie shoots Tobio one last glance over his shoulder as they leave the room.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Lead me out into the light

When Tobio wakes up, he is alone. Soft evening sun bathes the room in gold, casting shadows on the floor. He sits up, mind hazy with sleep, and looks around. There is no sign of the Faerie anywhere. 

He gets up, feeling the cold marble beneath his bare feet. He moves silently across the room, almost unconsciously. As soon as he opens the door, he can hear it, the faint laughter emanating from the kitchen. He can hear Tadashi and Shouyou speaking animatedly, and he sighs contentedly, the familiarity of the situation very welcome to him. 

It’s sometime in the evening, and there’s always a mood at this time of day, something like laziness and tranquility, a easing sense of calm that comes with the setting Sun as the world slowly prepares itself for sleep. 

Tobio walks into the kitchen, yawning and greeting everyone with half-lidded eyes, his voice heavy and raspy with sleep. “Morning.”

“Evening, actually.” Kei corrects, not looking up from the book he’s reading,  _ ‘The Sun Also Rises’  _ by Ernest Hemingway. “You’d know that, if you had some sense of time, or punctuality.”

“Morning.” Shouyou greets, ignoring Kei, smiling at Tobio to ease the scowl currently forming on his face. 

“Good morning.” Tadashi chimes, smiling meekly. They’re all sitting at the white marble island, facing Koushi. 

“I bid you good morning.” Koushi says. It’s the most formal ‘Good morning’ Tobio has ever received, but he nods curtly and accepts with as much grace as he can, unaccustomed to such flowery language. 

“Thank you.” 

He sits at the island beside Kei, the only other place left. Shouyou pushes his mug of hot chocolate towards him, still warm. “I’m not that hungry anyway.”

Tobio tries complaining, but he chooses not to, and instead takes a sip, welcoming the warm feeling of the thick liquid running down his throat, warming up his cold body. 

“May I try? I have never eaten nor drank mortal foods, or anything made by men. It is an odd request, but -” Koushi is interrupted by Tobio handing him the mug. 

Everyone is surprised, and the quiet chatter falls silent. Even Kei looks up from his book. 

Tobio isn’t one for sharing his food, not even with Shouyou, so it’s a big surprise when he offers this practical stranger his drink. 

“I am most grateful.” Koushi smiles at him, and Tobio can feel his body warm up faster from that than from the chocolate. The faerie curls his fingers around the handle, gently and carefully, as if handling a precious jewel. He pulls it up to his lips, and then takes a big gulp. 

He closes his eyes as he savours it, a look of both determination and confusion on his face. 

When Koushi opens his eyes again to greet the expectant gaze of everyone around him, (except for Kei, still engrossed in his new book), he says something unexpected. “I have scalded my tongue and throat.”

Shouyou and Yamaguchi give each other side glances, trying to contain their giggles. 

“How does it taste?” Tobio asks. 

“It’s...sweet. It does not taste like nectar, or the sweet honey that rushes from the fountains in the Palace, nor does it have the same bitter pang of maror, but it is good. I like it.”

They are all silent for a while until Shouyou speaks up, saying what everyone has been thinking. “That is the most beautiful description of hot chocolate I have yet to hear.”

Koushi nods as a sign of appreciation. 

“Do you want to keep it? I can make myself some more, it’s fine.” Tobio says, and stands up, reaching for the saucepan. 

“I am forever in your debt for your kindness.” Koushi bows elegantly, hands still wrapped around the mug. 

Tobio shrugs and turns away, feeling heat rise to his cheeks. “Don’t say such things. I just offered you my chocolate.”

Koushi turns away, embarrassed. “I am sorry, I did not mean to anger you.”

“No, I didn’t mean -” Tobio sighs, evidently frustrated. Faeries are difficult creatures to deal with, because their way of understanding language is very different, and complex. You never know when you’re complimenting them or being offensive. “I just mean that a simple ‘Thank you,’ is enough.”

“Oh.” 

Shouyou and Tadashi go back to their chatter, and Koushi experiments with all the different noises he’s discovered he can make when drinking. 

  
  
  


They’re still in the kitchen when Keishin calls him with his booming voice that resonates around the institute walls. “Kageyama Tobio!”

They all turn to the door, and Tobio gets up reluctantly, wiping his face clean before heading outside. The main floor is dimly lit by the sky, bright oranges mixing with pale pink clouds to create a delusion of brightness that isn’t there. 

The Head of the Institute and their tutor stand side by side on the stairs. Keishin stands a few steps below Ittetsu. Everybody in the Institute knows they’re together, or at the very least, having an affair. It’s painfully obvious, yet they try to hide it. Maybe it’s practice for when the Clave comes to visit, to make sure everything is in order. Shadowhunters are not punished for being gay; but it isn’t very common in Japan, and generally looked down upon, though most people say nothing. As Head, Ittetsu must maintain a ‘clean’ image for the public, and admitting to his relationship with the tutor would not help. 

“Am I in trouble?” is the first thing Tobio asks, fearing for the worst. 

“Yes,” Ittetsu says, walking down the stairs. “and no.”

Tobio shoots him a confused look. 

“Your actions were brave and honourable the other day, when you saved the Faerie boy,” Ittetsu pauses, “but it was risky, and brash. You know about the Cold Peace; if we aid him further, great punishment would await us. All of us. You aren’t kids anymore - you’re already sixteen. If we are to help this boy, and keep it under wraps until we know what to do, you must accept full responsibility. Not for us, but for them.” he points his head towards the kitchen, where Kei is chastising Shouyou for something and the boy is laughing it off along with Tadashi. 

“I accept full responsibility.” Tobio says, solemnly, and swallows hard. 

“Swear it.” Keishin presses, and Tobio’s eyes widen. He has sworn few things on the Angel, knowing how much it means. He looks back, and sees a wisp of silvery hair, and he knows he must do it, something strange settling between his ribs, a sort of pressure.

“I swear on the Angel to take full responsibility for the Faerie and I will accept all the consequences of my actions.” 

Ittetsu and Keishin nod, and then they turn and head back. Ittetsu looks over his shoulder. 

_ “Dura lex, sed lex.” _ he says, and Tobio knows what he means. A word of caution. The Shadowhunter motto:  _ ‘The law is hard, but it is the law.’ _

  
  
  


It is late when they finally leave the kitchen to go to their rooms. Tobio stays behind with Koushi, and guides him to one of the guest rooms. 

“I imagine you wouldn’t want to sleep in the Infirmary.” the Shadowhunter explains as they walk up the stairs. 

“It’s lovely here.” Koushi complements, running his hands over the marble stair rail, looking up at Tobio as he does so. 

“Thank you,” Tobio murmurs, and heads up. 

The room  is as big as Tobio’s, but it’s clean, so it seems bigger. The windows are opposite the door, and the bed is directly under them. 

Koushi steps in, and runs a hand over the white bed sheets. Tobio’s teeth worry at his bottom lip. 

“Do you - do you like it?” Tobio asks, looking at Koushi with worried eyes. The faerie turns around, his hair swinging around his shoulders. He smiles, just lightly, his eyes playful. 

“Yes, I do. You needn’t worry, Tobio.”

The Shadowhunter is thrown off course when he hears Koushi say his name. It’s never sounded so good, he’s sure, he never thought he’d fall in love with it, but now he has, it’s like it has a different tone to it when it pours forth from Koushi’s lips, his beautiful voice adorning the syllables. 

Tobio tries to act like he isn’t fazed by it, like his heart isn’t beating at a million beats per second. “You’ll be staying here for a long time, I imagine, so it would be a problem if it weren’t to your liking.”

“I don’t know how long I’ll be staying. My home is a long way from here, and cannot be reached by earthly methods. “

Tobio should be ashamed he isn’t listening, but he’s just lying in wait for him to say his name again, his face resembling a puppy asking for a treat. He does straighten up, however. 

“Oh. I’m sorry...Koushi.” his name sounds awful to Tobio. Not because it’s his name, because faerie names have always been beautiful, and powerful. No, but because compared to Koushi, Tobio thinks his voice sounds like gravel on the side of the road, like the sound of crunching glass, or of sandpaper on a stone. It’s too rough and too deep, not high and melodic, or anything resembling beauty. 

“Do not apologise, it is not your fault.” Koushi says, an apologetic look on his face. “I have not walked the Earth for thousands of years; I have forgotten my way. I am aware of the Cold Peace, and its hard austerity measures. I shall leave now, if you desire.” 

Tobio feels his chest tighten at the prospect of him leaving. He has stayed for only a few days, and only this last one he’s been awake. And yet…

“No.” Tobio denies firmly, “Don’t leave. I swore I’d make myself responsible - I mean it.”

“I must say: you Nephilim are very noble.” The faerie boy looks at Tobio with something in his eyes the Shadowhunter can’t quite place, but he knows his heart flutters like a song bird in a cage. 

“I have to leave now.” Tobio rushes, knowing that if this continues he’ll go mad. It’s too many feelings he can’t recognise at a time. 

“I understand. I bid you a good night, Kageyama Tobio.” Koushi bows gracefully. Tobio is confused, so he merely nods his head and bends forward, keeping his head down. “Goodnight, Sugawara Koushi.”

When he turns and leaves, something inside his stomach curls. 

  
  
  


“We’re going to  _ what? _ ” Yamaguchi gapes, staring wide-eyed at the Head of the Institute. 

“We have been invited to the High Warlock’s winter party tonight, and we must attend.” Ittetsu explains. 

“‘Must’? That’s a strong word.” Kei says, looking incredulously at the man. 

“Yes Kei, ‘must’. If we don’t go, it would be taken as a serious offence by all of Japan’s warlocks, so we  _ must  _ go.” 

Tobio doesn’t say a word, but mentally, he’s groaning. It’s not that he doesn’t like the High Warlock, it’s that parties aren’t his favourite places to be. Ever. 

“A member of the Scholomance will be there too, so everyone better be on their best behaviour.” Keishin reprimands, as if he were talking to a group of seven-year olds. 

“Yes, sir!” they exclaim, a joke between them, and then rush off. 

Tobio wanders down to the training room. Since he left Koushi the previous night in his room, strange thoughts have wandered into his head. At night, his dreams are coated in silver and copper, of moonlit hair and slender fingers. It’s all a blurr, but he still remembers it vividly. 

He takes up Matsukaze from where it hangs on the wall. It was given to him by Hajime back in the day. It had been passed in his family for generations, for thousands of years, and to Tobio’s surprise, it had been passed down to him. “You’re special, Kageyama Tobio. I can feel it. You’ll do great things, and this will help you. Think of me, use my strength in battle, if you need it,” he’d said when he placed the katana in Tobio’s hands, and the boy held on to it for as long as he could think of. He’d cradled it, and fought with it, and trained with it. 

Iwaizumi Hajime had always been the closest thing he had to a friend since he got to the Institute. Though there were other kids his age, the older boy was the one who spent the most time with him in those years of his life. He talked to him first, taught him about Downworld, guided his hands in training, and told him stories of when  _ he  _ was a child. Back then, he was fifteen, in his last three years of training. When he left, three years later, ten year old Tobio was sad, but he knew it was time. He couldn’t remain at the Institute forever. They haven’t spoken much since he was sent away, since they keep changing location, and he needs a warlock to deliver a fire message. He doesn’t forget him though. Whenever he wields Matsukaze, he thinks of him, of how he told him to hold his fingers, to curl his wrist, to articulate his arm and to use his whole body to fight. 

Now, he straps it to his back, and heads up to his room, changing into his running clothes. Once again, he goes alone. 

Tobio tiptoes into Koushi’s room, opening the door slightly. The boy isn’t sleeping. He’s reading a book from one of the shelves,  _ The Shadowhunter’s Codex. _

“I’m - uh - I’m leaving now.” Tobio stutters. 

Koushi looks up from his book. “Oh.” He stares up at Tobio. “Where are you going?”

“I’m just going for a run.” the Shadowhunter says. 

“Enjoy yourself.” Koushi smiles, and Tobio feels something well up in his chest. But  _ what?  _

“You too.” Tobio says, colder than expected. 

He turns and leaves, though he finds himself wanting to go back to the room. He shakes his head, and jogs down the stairs. 

  
  
  


Kei and Tobio leave at the same time, not speaking, just enjoying each other’s presence. Kei doesn't run as fast as the other Shadowhunter. He’s on patrol - he needs to be watchful. When he and Tobio part ways, he slows. His eyes scan the streets, and he ducks into a narrower one that leads to a less transited part of town. There shouldn’t be any demonic activity, but who knows. He’s jogging, and he knows where he’s going, but his mind isn’t focusing. The echo of Tadashi’s laugh resonates in his head, like the distant passing of cars on the road behind him. 

The sun is setting, and Tokyo lights up with the splendour of artificial light, bright neon hues of pink and purple bouncing off the puddles on the floor left there by the previous day’s rain. 

He stops when he hears something. As a Shadowhunter, he’s got improved hearing. It’s a snarl, and then a muffled scream. It’s coming from the left. 

Kei runs faster towards the source of the sound, fixing his glasses, his hands itching to reach for his seraph blade. As the streets get less crowded, the silence grows, and they grow darker. At one point, Kei is alone, the sound of his boots hitting the pavement booming around him. Another snarl. He runs faster. 

He finally skids to an abrupt stop. In the alley before him, someone is leaning over a girl, her eyes terrified and pleading as she locks gazes with Kei. Of course, she doesn’t know he’s there. The Shadowhunter then catches something - a double gleam of ivory pins in the night. He pulls out a knife from the strap on his leg and flings it, hard, hearing it whistle past the shape’s head before impaling itself in the brick wall. 

The shape looks up, and as soon as Kei recognises him, he sighs. 

“Oikawa, let this woman go, now.” 

Oikawa frowns, and lets go of his hold on her, straightening his back. The woman lets out a horrified scream, and then runs past Kei. 

“You know the Law, Oikawa. You cannot feed on mundanes.” Kei reprimands, walking down the steps that lead into the alley. 

“You’re such a prude, Kei-chan.” Oikawa complains, puffing and blowing hair away from his forehead. 

“Please, call me Tsukishima.” The Shadowhunter presses his lips into a thin line, and crosses his arms in front of his chest. This vampire is the Leader of the Tokyo clan, and as old and wise as he is, he’s also an insufferable  _ pain.  _

“What brings you here, Tsukishima?” Oikawa straightens his back, and grins, stepping closer to the Shadowhunter. Kei keeps his ground, and eyes him with amusement. 

“It does not concern you.” he replies, cold. 

Oikawa’s grin stretches, but it’s malicious as he approaches the blonde. “Oh, you Shadowhunters need to step down from your pedestal. You are no better than I am.” 

“Is that so?” Kei can’t help the amusement in his voice. He has never thought himself superior to Downworlders, but the idea of him being the same as Oikawa is ridiculous. 

“You sin. You kill. You live, you love, you fight, you eat and sleep and live for war. You are the same as I am, or as any Downworlder.”

Kei doesn’t want to see the truth in his words, so he doesn’t reply, but that is enough of an answer for the vampire. 

Oikawa speaks again. “And how is your little friend doing? The freckled one?” 

“I will not speak of him.” Kei looks away. He needs to leave, now. 

“Oh, really? You know, I’ve heard rumors of someone who would be  _ very  _ interested in him…” 

Something inside Kei clicks, and he throws himself forward, whipping out his seraph blade in the blink of an eye. He pushes Oikawa against the brick wall, and holds the  _ adamas  _ weapon against his throat. 

Oikawa Tooru merely laughs, loud. “You, Tsukishima Kei, are quite the mystery wrapped in an enigma, aren’t you?”

“Leave. Tadashi. Alone.” Kei grits out, eyes blazing in fury. He doesn’t know what’s come over him, why he’s acting like this at the thought of somebody other than him liking Tadashi, loving him. 

Oikawa frowns before it all falls into place, and he laughs again. “You think  _ I’m  _ the one interested in the little thing?” The vampire’s laughing so hard tears of blood fall down his cheeks. He wipes them away. “Oh deary me, you really  _ must  _ be delusional.”

Kei’s hold on the vampire relaxes a minuscule amount. If it’s not Oikawa, then who could he be talking about? 

“I have better taste, Tsukishima. But let me give you a word of unsolicited advice - 

“If you don’t claim him, someone else will. It’s the natural order of life. And life’s a bitch. That’s why I’m dead.” he cackles, and Kei drops him on the floor, dumbfounded. Oikawa groans faintly, before scrambling to his feet and disappearing into the dark alleys of Tokyo, the only place dark enough while the Sun is in the sky for vampires to be wandering about. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't post this sooner, but school is keeping me really busy :(  
> I hope you enjoy this! I really like the idea of vampire!Oikawa tbh

**Author's Note:**

> Hii! I hope you like this new story I'm writing. This is one of my favourite rarepairs <3  
> I decided to make it a Shadowhunters AU bc I just finished Lady Midnight and I am feeling inspired.


End file.
